Formal balls may seem like a thing of the past, something only seen in cinema, but that’s not the case! Based in the Greater Vancouver region, Nocturne Gala is an operation that wants to change that perception. Founder Anna Stankevich (pictured right) is a ball enthusiast and she says they are still ongoing. When she and her husband immigrated to Canada in 2022 and didn’t find anything similar, she started up this business. Balls still happen across Europe and as for why they never took off here, not even historians have an answer.
This organizer said, “A good number of guests attending Nocturne Gala events have a European background and recognize the format immediately, while others are discovering it for the first time. What I particularly enjoy is that these dances can be accessible and easy to learn.”
Depending on the generation, some will fondly recall either Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera and others Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula. But other films, like Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard predate both, and this is regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. For anyone who knows the song, “The Music of the Night,” the following lyrics say it all:
Slowly, gently
Night unfurls its splendor
Grasp it, sense it
Tremulous and tender
Turn your face away
From the garish light of day
Turn your thoughts away from cold unfeeling light
And listen to the music of the night
In the animated front, it began with a certain Disney princess, Cinderella, and that movie set a precedent future films from this studio must follow. Anna believes it’s about how the feeling, the music, the costume, and the magic come together. She also believes it’s essential not to go over the top.
When asked about the animated, theatrical, and live-action versions of Beauty and the Beast, Anna noted a difference. She said, “Compared with the polished, formal balls in earlier Disney films like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, the 1991 Beauty and the Beast ball scene feels warmer and more inviting and real due to more realistic ballroom layout, sweeping camera movement, and the use of 3D. The 2017 live-action version is different. It’s at the end of the movie, and feels more like a theatrical vision of a royal court, perhaps something you could imagine at Versailles, not polished, sometimes even a bit quirky.”
When translating all these cinematic elements to a more realistic dance, Stankevich said, “We certainly care about the atmosphere: we create decorations, choose attractive venues, and ask guests to follow a dress code that suits the theme. Beautiful clothes and thoughtful details help people step into the evening.”
What sets Nocturne Gala apart from similar events in North America is that dancing is at the heart of every ball (and not the costumes or the vibes). “Like the preparation for European-style gala balls,” revealed Stankevich, “our events include rehearsals over several weeks/ comprehensive workshop, where guests learn the dances, meet like-minded people, and help create the experience together. We’re still very new, our first ball was in Vancouver in spring 2026, but the response was wonderful, and we’re excited to bring Nocturne Gala to more cities.”
Expanding to the Island with special events like the Vampire Ball will surely have many folks who fondly remember Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula wanting to attend. The movie sees Mina and the Count dancing by candlelight (it wasn’t a full-on gala), but that lavishness is probably what people remember most. Registration is open, and workshops will be held before the formal begins. But there’s more to this organized dance than meets the eye. The cinematic history is rich, and I got to correspond with Anna about the history, the appeal, and what her special company offers:
How would you say Disney’s animated films from 1950 to 2015 changed the look and style of a grand ball?
I think the difference comes from a combination of the stories, the princesses’ characterization, and the visual style of each era. In Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, the princesses themselves look and move according to a very polished ideal: tiny waists, high, structured bodices, graceful gestures and speech. Their balls reflect that same ideal. They’re extremely formal, like storybook images brought to life. They present a heightened, polished version of royalty, and to me that can make the balls feel a little intimidating.
Frozen is a fun comparison because although it is a newer and more magical movie, its coronation ball feels like a social event that could plausibly happen: there’s a roomful of people dancing and mingling, rather than just one couple at the centre of the spectacle. The dancing also reads to me as closer to historical social dancing than a simple romantic waltz where a princess is swept away by a prince.
In terms of finding venues, is it hard to find locations that are perfect to bring these formal dances from the Middle Ages, the era it first began, to the modern age?
Yes, finding a suitable venue is one of our biggest challenges. One small clarification, though: our dances mainly draw on the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, rather than the Middle Ages. We sometimes include earlier influences that continued into those periods.
Films have given us a very grand idea of what a ball should look like: an enormous room, spectacular interiors, and dozens of beautifully dressed guests. Historically, most balls were actually much smaller private gatherings, rarely larger public assemblies. A good example from literature is the ball in Emma by Jane Austen. Their carefully planned, long-standing ball event included 10 couples.
The practical difficulty is the floor. Many wedding venues and conference halls are spacious and beautiful, but carpeted. For the dances we teach, we need an uncarpeted floor. A room can look perfect in photographs and still be unsuitable once we consider the dancing.
I’m curious as to why vampires and galas seem to go hand in hand now? Bram Stoker’s Dracula never mentioned the Count attending a gala, yet it has become a major part of many films. What We Do in the Shadows (2014) inverts the formula with the “Unholy Masquerade,” and there are parties to be found in Anne Rice’s books, especially The Vampire Chronicles. And of course, there’s the role playing game Vampire: The Masquerade, which helped bring the older meanings into a concept for the modern day goths to glom on to.
I haven’t seen What We Do in the Shadows, but Anne Rice’s work has certainly been an important cultural influence. There is a long tradition of “Anne Rice” balls in New Orleans, and it’s been running for 38 years now.
To me, vampires and balls fit together because they share so many associations: elegance, old-world luxury, beautiful clothes, mystery, and romance. For our event, that theme gives people a way to enjoy Halloween that is dark and theatrical without focusing on gore. A masquerade is all about mystery: you hide your identity, move through the crowd, and interact with people as someone else. That could be pretty handy for a vampire with fangs to conceal.
It also fits the classic image of the vampire as an elegant, aristocratic figure who can mingle in society while hiding their dangerous nature. Vampires are often treacherous, two-faced characters: charming, seductive, and irresistible on the surface, but ultimately predators beneath them. A masquerade feels like the perfect setting for that kind of transformation.
When would you say that switch happened, where the gala became something filmmakers could use in movies, be it animation, horror or fantasy, to create that sense of mystique? If I remember right, even the animated movie Hotel Transylvania featured a version which represented a transition to adulthood for Mavis.
My impression is that a ball gives storytellers so many possibilities: romance, introductions, secrets, unexpected encounters, and the contrast between what someone shows publicly and what they are feeling privately.
There is also a historical connection to coming of age. In certain social circles, a young woman’s debut marked her introduction to society and courtship, with balls forming part of that social world. A ball already feels like a departure from ordinary life.
You mentioned that your dances aren’t taught in their strictly historical forms, but are adapted to be beginner-friendly. What are some of the changes you made to make these workshops more accessible while still retaining the spirit of the original dances?
We break the dances down into simple, repeatable sections. We simplify complicated footwork, decorative gestures, and variations that require more experience. We also consider the speed and the music. A dance might be manageable at a slower tempo but quite challenging at its original pace.
We choose music with a clear, steady beat and give people time to become comfortable with the sequence. Some of our adaptations go further. For example, we have created dances inspired by minuets and mazurkas using simplified movements and a 4/4 musical structure.
What do you hope people feel when they walk into a dance that is the Nocturne Gala?
I want people to feel welcome and comfortable enough to dance. I don’t want the atmosphere to feel elitist or make anyone think they need a particular background to belong. People arrive with different levels of confidence, experience, and mobility, and we want to support them as they learn.
One of the nicest things we heard after our first ball was from guests who hadn’t expected to enjoy dancing at all. Some had come along with a partner and then discovered they loved it. A few told us they had started taking dance classes afterwards, which was wonderful to hear.
In closing, any final words?
If you’ve ever watched a ballroom scene in a period drama and wished you could be there, that’s exactly the feeling that inspired Nocturne Gala. My hope is that more people will give it a try, especially those who think they can’t dance. You don’t have to be good at it before you come. That’s what the rehearsals are for, and learning together is part of the fun.
Nocturne Gala YouTube Preview
